Aesthetics of the Moving Image How do films convey meaning, generate emotions, and work as an art form? What aspects of film are shared by television and videogames? This course is designed to improve your ability to watch, reflect on, and write about moving images. The course will be grounded in the analysis of cinema (feature films, documentaries, avant-garde, and animation) with special focus on film style and storytelling techniques. Study will extend to new audio-visual media as well, and will be considered from formal, cultural, and theoretical perspectives. Note to students: this course involves substantial streaming of films and television for assigned viewing.

The Anime Industry: Studios, Genres, Media Mix What exactly is anime? Why and how did it become so popular around the world? In response to these questions, we will study Japanese anime in the context of its unique media mix industry that involves franchising across manga, movies, television series, and original video animation, as well as toys, merchandise, and video games. We will explore the establishment and development of that industry through the works of key auteurs (e.g., Osamu Tezuka, Mamoru Oshii, Rumiko Takahashi, Masaaki Yuasa), studios (e.g., Toei, Ghibli, Madhouse, Production I.G.), and genres (e.g., mecha, shojo, BL, sports). Our discussions will focus on both the politics and aesthetics of anime, and will be informed by broader historical and theoretical readings.

Global Auteurs: Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho In this course we will survey the careers of prominent Korean auteurs Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho. We will analyze the films they've directed and/or produced thus far, focusing on each filmmaker's unique artistic style, the cinematic traditions they draw on, and their works' transnational appeal. In addition to delving into specific relevant topics (aesthetics of violence, genre hybridity, postcolonial cinema, stardom, adaptation, etc.), we will pay special attention to changing modes of production and distribution that have impacted the two auteurs' work process and their global reach. Films screened include Joint Security Area, The Vengeance Trilogy, The Handmaiden, Decision to Leave (Park); Memories of Murder, The Host, Snowpiercer, Okja, Parasite (Bong).

Studio Ghibli: Art and Industry In this course we will examine the creative output of anime Studio Ghibli, focusing on the work of its founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. We will study the two filmmakers' early artistic collaborations and the changes and challenges in the anime industry at the time that prompted them to establish their own studio together with producer Toshio Suzuki. We will watch and discuss major Ghibli films, from the 1980s Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, and Grave of the Fireflies through the studio's global success with the Disney-distributed Spirited Away (2001) to their most recent releases. Topics include environmental themes, unique characters, and aesthetic appeal, as well as issues related to anime production and its global distribution.

Global Film Histories II In this course we will survey the development of global cinema from 1960 to present. Our study will emphasize film as an evolving art, while bearing in mind the influence of technology, economic institutions, and the political and social contexts in which the films were produced and received. Screenings will include representative and celebrated works from world cinema.

Imagining a Better Tomorrow In this class we will study some of the ways in which filmmakers, artists, activists, thinkers, and ordinary people have envisioned and/or strived to create a better future for humanity. We will watch and read fictional narratives in parallel with real-world examples of equitable societies, life-altering technology, sustainable living, and others. We will cover various aesthetic, political, and ideological frameworks and movements, such as Afrofuturism, ecofeminism, environmental activism, pacifism, etc. Texts include films (Metropolis, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind), television series (Star Trek), architecture (ecovillages and intentional communities), writers such as Marge Piercy, Samuel R. Delany, Octavia Butler, and others.

Contemporary East Asian Cinema In this course we will study the contemporary cinema cultures of East Asia, focusing predominantly on the production of China, Japan, and South Korea in the 21st century. We will examine production, distribution, and (global) consumption in order to understand how these industries fit into or transcend national, regional, and global cinema paradigms. We will consider issues of superstardom and authorship, especially the ways in which prominent auteurs adapt, develop, and (re)invent genres and aesthetic techniques. We will also examine some of the more complex cinematic representations of tradition and modernity, nationalism, race and ethnicity, and gender and sexuality. The broader goal of the course is to think how the region’s film production can be conceptualized in terms of national/regional/global cinema, so we will use a comparative approach by analyzing similarities and unique differences within the main national industries studied.

Anime: Masterworks of Japanese Animation How did anime emerge as a distinctive national genre in global popular culture at the turn of the 21st century? What social conditions and media industry developments in Japan promoted adaptations of manga (graphic novels) into feature-length films for both young and adult audiences? In this course students will address these questions by analyzing the forms and contexts of a number of masterworks by the most prominent directors of Japanese animation. We will examine the relation of anime to classic Disney films, live-action Hollywood cinema, and Japanese aesthetic traditions. In addition to Studio Ghibli founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, we will study the works of Satoshi Kon, Mamoru Oshii, Makoto Shinkai, and other distinguished anime auteurs.

Nikolina Dobreva

Reviews and ratings for Nikolina Dobreva at Middlebury College.Nikolina Dobreva teaches Aesthetics of the Moving Image, Intro to Anime as Industry, Park Chan-wook & Bong Joon-ho and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Nikolina Dobreva good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

In this course you get to watch many Korean movies in class, after class, and during screenings. This makes the course materials more diverse compared to readings-only courses, but some of the older movies are not as enjoyable. The readings are understandable but boring for me - if you are interested in the film industry development you might find it easier. There are one reflective paper every two weeks for you to show what you've learned about the movies, industry development period, and the two directors.

Nice and accommodating professor with a very chill and relaxing work load. Recommend this class if you want to watch and learn about these directors and films but don't expect the most in-depth readings about them. Kind of fun to just watch amazing movies and discuss them in class. Most if not all the work are solo reflection essays just on your own opinions on the movie with not many outside sources necessary. 

There were definitely some hits and misses with the film choices. I did not like how heavily participation was graded considering that there were 30+ people in the class and it can be hard to get a word in sometimes. The exams were also pretty boring to write about but pretty easy if you pay attention to the broader themes of the class. Sometimes the readings could be difficult to get through but were interesting nonetheless.